More letters on Judge Moore

Forty years ago, Gov. George Wallace sought to revitalize his faltering
political career by playing on the ignorance, fear and hatred of Alabama
voters surrounding the prospect of racial integration.

To his everlasting shame and that of Alabama voters, he succeeded handily.

Today, Chief Justice Roy Moore hopes to duplicate that political feat by
playing on voters’ ignorance, fear and hatred of homosexuality and
homosexuals.

This small group makes an easy target, and Moore knows that few in Alabama
will rise to their defense. (By way of comparison, when Hitler launched his
campaign to purify the master race, he began by rounding up homosexuals in
Germany.)

Much has been written about the embarrassment Moore brings to our state.
This is the least of the dangers posed by this misguided zealot.

He evidently believes himself deputized by God and charged with cleansing
Alabama of its sinners. He has amply demonstrated a willingness to use the
power of his temporal office in the pursuit of his divine mission.

Clearly he seeks to augment the persuasive power of the pulpit with the
coercive force of the judicial bench. If this approach to justice sounds
familiar you may be thinking of Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Is that really what we want in Alabama?

Moore’s credibility as a fair and impartial judge has been utterly
destroyed by his own words. If he refuses to resign, he should be impeached
forthwith.

- Michael Scarborough, Huntsville

Letter: Counterfeit truth (March 14, 2002)

Some are foaming at the mouth with contempt for Alabama Chief Justice Roy
Moore. They hate him because he’s one of the few who has the courage to
stand up and uphold the common sense laws of a pretty smart God: a God who
knows what’s best for us.

To be truthful, perhaps it’s not really Moore they can’t stand—it’s
God’s ways.

These people don’t want our laws to be based on God’s ways. They want
legalized pornography in all of its forms: businesses, Internet, movies and
magazines because it’s not pornography; it’s "freedom of
speech." They want permanent fatherless or motherless homosexual families
and men having sex with other men as their counterfeit to God’s heterosexual
plan for us.

They maliciously slander anyone who doesn’t approve of homosexual
behavior by calling them hateful, intolerant, bigots. They even support the
profanity kids are learning in children’s movies today. To them, sin is not
evil but it’s evil not to tolerate sin.

These people really have only one thing to say to God: "We don’t
want any part of you or your ways in our laws or our lives, and we will attack
anyone who tries to put them there." A surprise to God? Not hardly.

He knew this would happen. That’s why in Isaiah he said that "His
ways are not our ways" and in Matthew, he said that eventually the world
will hate those who stand for his ways.

It seems that they don’t want the real thing, just all the counterfeits.

This is an open letter to State Rep. Alvin Holmes, the grandmother from
Gulf Shores and others who choose to castigate Chief Justice Roy Moore for his
remarks relative to the recent Supreme Court Decision.

In the first place, the decision was unanimous and in the second place, he
was only stating the truths contained in the only real authority on the
subject, God’s word, the Holy Bible. The Bible is a wonderful book, full of
mysteries, containing passages subject to different interpretation by even the
best Bible scholars, and some parts defying understanding by mortal man.

However, on the subject at hand there is no need for confusion or
conjecture even to the least knowledgeable layman such as myself. What could
be clearer than Leviticus 20:13, "If a man has sexual relations with
another man, they have done a disgusting thing and both shall be put to death.
They are responsible for their own death." This is God speaking! And
Leviticus 18:22, "No man is to have sexual relations with another man.
God hates this."

There are numerous others. Read the pertinent passages in Genesis 19 and
20. There are those who say this was the old law and Christ changed that.
Actually the New Testament is equally clear, if not so graphic. The Apostle
Paul addresses the issue in Romans I and Corinthians 6:9-18. The Christian era
did not change the answer to the question. Also, has God changed his mind? I
don’t think so.

- Allen Anderson, Mobile

Letter: God’s creations are beyond understanding

To those who continue to claim that homosexuals are that way by choice. You
say that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.

Wrong, God created each and every one of us: Adam, Eve, Steve and everybody
else. And yes, we were created in his image, homosexuals as well as
heterosexuals. And you say we choose our sexuality? Think back, at what time
in your life did you make the choice to be heterosexual? It wasn’t a choice,
was it?

Well, neither is homosexuality. What we choose to do is live our lives as
the person and in the way that God created us. He didn’t make me like he
made you (and I thank him for that).

Look around you and appreciate the diversity of our God through his
creation. Maybe his diversity and creativity is a little more than you can
understand.

- Joe Openshaw, Bessemer

Letter: What group will Moore attack next? (March 13, 2002)

Apparently the post-Sept. 11 war cry of "United we stand!" has
faded into oblivion in Alabama.

Consider Chief Justice Roy Moore’s decision to use our very judicial
system we hold so dear to blast a group of people because they have committed
a sin in his eyes. Normally, this would just seem like an idiotic decision
that will die down in a few weeks, but half of the people polled for the
Mobile Register agreed with his stance.

Alabama is still very clearly an area of intolerance, no matter what people
said after Sept. 11.

Then, in the March 3 Register, Pastor David White justified Roy Moore’s
decision to deny a group of people equal protection under the law, because the
Bible says that homosexuality is a sin ("Moore’s stance signals ‘new
breed’ of leadership," Insight section). If we are going to use this
argument, the Bible also says that we are all sinners. Jesus himself said,
"Let he who is without sin throw the first stone."

Why should we have a judge decide what is a sin in the court of law? That
is the same as preaching a religion in the court of law, which is illegal
under the Constitution.

What group is going to be attacked next? Muslims? Jews? Atheists? Are we
going to sit around waiting to find out? If "united we stand" is to
be a true saying, we must not tolerate judges who decide verdicts based on a
person’s religion or race.

In response to the letters from Rev. James McConnell and Mary Arbery
Kinder, I would like to state my views regarding the Alabama Supreme Court’s
decision to award custody of the children to the father instead of the mother.

It was not only Judge Moore’s decision, but a decision of the Supreme
Court to do this. Yet because Judge Moore stated his opinion it seems he is
being held responsible as if he made the decision alone.

The first priority should be to find out the truth—if these children were
being abused by their father, and if so, why the state had not already
intervened in the children’s behalf.

I agree and support Judge Moore’s stand that homosexuality is an immoral
atmosphere to raise children in. The Bible makes an infallible statement that
homosexuality is not and never will be an accepted lifestyle. I agree that God
loves all he created. He loves the drug addict, but not the addiction. He
loves the criminal, but not the crime. He loves the adulterer, but not the
adultery. He loves the homosexual but not homosexual acts. I can say this
because I am an addict. I did not choose to be an addict. But it is my choice
to live in my recovery or to live in my addiction, just as it is the
homosexual’s choice to live as God intended, man and woman, or to live in
the desires of homosexuality.

A member of my family has worked with several homosexuals in the ministry.
I have seen them overcome the desires of homosexuality and live heterosexual
lifestyles. Not to say that their desires every completely left, just as I
still battle the desires of addiction. To do this is a choice. The Bible
states in Joshua, to choose this day whom you will serve. Do I serve my
addiction or do I serve God. I know many good people who pay taxes, give to
charities, maintain good relationships, and even go to church—just like many
average Alabamians who have problems with addictions—and who even commit
crimes and serve time in prison. Even though they are good parents as such
most Christians would agree that children should not be raised up in such an
atmosphere. Christ states in Revelation, know your deeds that you are neither
cold nor hot, I wish you were one or the other, so because you are lukewarm
neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth. There are issues
that cannot be compromised, and we must stand in Christ alone. The Bible says
let every man be a liar and God’s word be true. I will leave one more
scripture in behalf of Judge Moore. Whether you feel he is right or wrong, in
the book of Samuel God directly gives an order to David concerning Saul.
"Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm."

- John E. Davis, Attalla

Letter: (March 12, 2002)

Chief Justice Moore has decreed that, since, according to Biblical
literalism says you aren’t supposed to be gay or lesbian, gays and lesbians
can’t legally be competent parents.

But Biblical literalism also says you aren’t supposed to be Catholic,
Mormon, Hindu, Humanist or Unitarian.

For that matter, to be a dedicated fundamentalist, Methodist, Lutheran and
Episcopalians, moderate (i.e., tolerant) Baptist, Presbyterian or Pentecostal
is de facto rebellion against Biblical law.

In short, any parent who disagrees with Moore is at risk of having their
children ripped from their home, no matter how loving, nurturing and stable,
and forced into a theocratically correct environment in the name of God and
country.